I've been using this display for years now, and it's the best monitor I've ever owned. I debated whether to buy one for literally years, having difficulty accepting the high price tag. To help encourage your purchase, you should consider that this display is actually CHEAPER to own than almost any other monitor. Why? Resale value. Like most Apple products, you can sell your old gear for only marginally less than you paid for it. Compare that to your average Dell LCD monitor; you observe almost full depreciation within the first moments of entering your credit card number.

The display has contributed to higher productivity due to its pleasant clarity, color saturation, contrast, black levels, and brightness. It has integrated auto-dimming to adjust for ambient light, something it does so well that I don't even notice, unlike pretty much any other manufacturer out there where the dimming is too aggressive and I find myself fighting it or just turning it off completely. Not so with the Cinema Display; it's excellently engineered.

The integrated speakers are the best integrated monitor speakers I've heard for a computer, and I've been buying monitors with integrated speakers for high price tags since the 90s, some boasting "Harmon/Kardon" amps and 5 inch oval speakers below a CRT. The Cinema Display has reasonable bass response and generally flat frequency response from the mids to the highs, making it acceptable for personal workspace music or occasional movies.

The built-in i-sight camera is a great addition and works perfectly for facetime and skype. The integrated microphone on the top of the display (not even visible unless you carefully inspect the frame for the small pin-prick holes on the top) is sensitive and clear. One of my favorite features is that these monitors charge your Macbook pro, eliminating the need for a separate "travel" power adapter. Really clean wiring at the desk. The integrated USB hub simplifies peripheral connections and the displayport cable can carry both the video and audio for the system to the display. You can also carry the audio over the USB port, but according to theory, the displayport should sound better. This can be switched easily in the sound settings in system preferences. The displayport will NOT power the USB ports - there is a separate USB cable for that.

In my opinion, the screen is absolutely gorgeous and timeless.

One note that some may be interested in, something I had not read from anyone else: the heat vent on the screen. Due to the mostly vent-free design of the monitor, the internals get get a bit hot. The Cinema Display solves this by integrating a completely silent cooling fan into the monitor. It very gently blows warm air out of the bottom of the monitor in the vicinity of the speakers. This has the bizarre consequence of heating your hands if they happen to be on a keyboard under the monitor. That's nice in the winter, but the monitor's fan doesn't really run much when it's cold. In the summer, the fan seems to blow a bit more aggressively, something my already warm hands aren't particularly fond of. It's not a huge problem, but it's something I've noticed.

No one is fooling themselves here. We're all aware this isn't a value priced monitor or a best bang for the buck item. But as of Nov-Dec of 2010, this is one of the best out there for pure picture quality.

It's regrettable that Apple currently elects to have only one choice for monitor size, but it IS an excellent size for any professional who is looking to shell out a grand. For some reason, IPS panels (the panel technology behind this display) have maintained their higher prices in this resolution/size range. Usually Apple's products command a bit extra for what you get, but compared to the rest of the market, they're actually setting right with everyone else.

If you're a PC user and are looking for a comparable monitor to this one, consider Dell's UltraSharp U2711. It will have the connections you need without needing an adapter to get the mini display port working.

If you're looking for the budget version of this monitor, look up HP's ZR22w 21.5-inch S-IPS LCD Monitor. Not quite the size or resolution, but you could afford two of them side by side for less than one of these.

If you're a gamer on a budget, don't even consider this monitor. The 12ms rating on the Apple monitor won't cut it for the First Person Shooter aficionado. Try Samsung's P2450H.

But if you're a graphics professional and/or love the minimal design of this monitor (and I DO think looks count for something, as shallow as that sounds) and have a mini display port on your computer, this is an incredibly attractive option.

Depending on what you work on everyday, you may or may not like the aspect ratio of this display. It's 16:9 rather than the previous 16:10 other monitors had. This is better for some applications (It works well for my 3D work with stuffing all the palette boxes to the right of my modeling windows, and having doubled up web windows while browsing) but not as good for others (Microsoft Office seems to be more crowded due to less height). 16:9 is definitely a better ratio for watching movies, no question.

Setting up the monitor on a Mac Pro Nehalem 8 Core was easy. There was one small firmware update required to fix an audio glitch that took all of 2 minutes. (Went to software updates control panel, ran the update, restarted, done.) Here's the link on that one...

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I ran a calibration with my gretagmacbeth monitor calibrator and it actually had to change very little. Gray was an almost perfect 6400k out of the box and spot on 6500k after calibration. It was slightly greenish/yellow initially but looks perfect now.

The built in iSight camera works as advertised, and the built in speakers aren't too bad. (You'll want a stand alone audio system if you're looking for any real bass output, but the speakers on this display are every bit as good or better than what you'll find in a typical flat panel television in this size.)

I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't bring up the finish of the monitor. Yes, it's glossy. This monitor replaced my previous 20 inch matte display from Apple I had for years and like all debates, there are pros and cons to this. Here's my quick and dirty take on the debate...

MATTE VS GLOSSY

Matte Pros:
- When staring at dark images, you won't see any reflections
- Doing photo touch up work for long periods of time aren't as tiring (think 4 or 5 hour stretches)

Matt Cons:
- They're harder to keep clean. WAY. HARDER. ^_^
- Smaller text is actually harder to read due to the diffusion effect needed to make a matte screen.
- Recycling your monitor is probably not going to happen

Glossy Pros:
- Smaller details like tiny text is easier to see
- Easier to keep clean
- Colors pop more

Glossy Cons:
- If you don't have a light controlled room, or have a strong light source directly behind you... you'll be staring at your handsome (or gorgeous) mug all day long.
- Eye strain might set in just a little sooner

Which one is more color accurate? Honestly, every professional test I've seen leans towards glossy (Despite the parroting that continues in some circles that matte is king.) The thing is, the difference between the two is small enough that you should let your preference of screen type make the decision.

OVERALL MONITOR CONSIDERATIONS

Pros:
- No longer has a bulky power supply brick on the outside of the monitor. I've read one review that says the heat off the display is quite noticeable as a result. I have to respectfully disagree. I'm typing this in a room that's 67F with 21F outside and I can't feel ANY heat off it unless I put my hand an inch or two away from the monitor.

- Great color uniformity right out of the box.

- Built in iSight camera

- Great resolution

Cons:

- Pricey, duh

- Cord length could be an issue. If Apple would've make it even 18" longer, that would've accommodated a lot more situations. For my use, (tower below monitor under a desk and slightly to the right) it worked just fine.

- Limited connection options

Overall I have zero buyer's remorse in putting this monitor on my desktop. It looks great on or off, leaves my desk clutter free, and lets me do my work more efficiently than before. If only it was just a little cheaper... :-)